India look to stay in top gear

In-form Men In Blue take on confident Ireland in penultimate group game

From the scorching Perth to the cooler and quainter, even if a bit humid at times, Hamilton, India will have to grapple with both the change in environs and the nature of the opposition as they look to finish on top of Group B.

Sitting on pole with four wins in as many matches, India take on a spirited Ireland in their penultimate group match here at the Sneddon Park on Tuesday. It’s the first of two matches that India play before wrapping up their New Zealand leg with their final match against Zimbabwe in Auckland on March 14. 
 
Sneddon Park, with a capacity to house 10,000 spectators, is a pleasant getaway from the big concrete structures that most Australian venues are. The playing area too is much smaller compared to the MCGs and WACAs. The square boundaries are 61 and 69 metres while the straight ones are 58 and 59 which means the batsmen will try to hit through the line more often than not. That makes bowlers’ job a bit difficult as they can’t afford to be either too wide or too full.

While India obviously are quite aware of what to expect in New Zealand, having played here a Test and ODI series in January last with pretty much the same squad, they will have to make some quick adjustments to their game as the conditions here vastly vary from the ones they confronted and sort of mastered over their three-month stay in Australia.

“The conditions will be slightly different,” MS Dhoni had said after the West Indies match, talking about the challenges in New Zealand.  “The grounds will be slightly smaller over there. But again, the last tour when we were there, to some extent that will help us, knowing the condition, the grounds and all of that. Since we have played with the same set of players for a long period now, the last two to three years, hopefully they remember what needs to be done,” he had noted.

Having sealed their quarterfinal berth, it appears quite logical to test the bench strength but Dhoni wants his core group to continue so that the team has a settled look rolling into the knockouts.

The seaming and swinging conditions would seem ideal for the return of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in place of Ravindra Jadeja but that would leave the side a batsman light even if it’s a psychological one given the all-rounder’s poor run with the bat. Stuart Binny would be more ideal with his more than handy batting but it remains to be seen if the Indian skipper is confident of getting 10 overs from the Karnataka all-rounder. Besides, Ireland are no pushovers and an unlikely defeat at the hands of the supposed minnows may break their rhythm.

Ireland, who are in fourth position behind Pakistan with only run-rate separating the two, are on the cusp of making a history by qualifying for the knockouts.

Their win against the West Indies was remarkable not only because they scalped a big team but also for the ease with which they chased down a 300-plus total. While the Irish were no match for the mighty South Africa, they scraped past the UAE and Zimbabwe to remain in contention for the place in the quarterfinals. Ireland, the top guns among the Associate nations, have done exceedingly well that may well leave the ICC with an egg on its face should they make the last-eight cut.     

The challenge, however, ahead isn’t easy. While they are up against an in-from defending champions in their fifth game, they will face a resurgent and a desperate Pakistan in the last match. Obviously, batting has been Ireland’s strength with the veteran Ed Joyce leading the charge with an effective support cast. It remains to be seen how they fare against a pumped-up Indian attack.